Yetgeul › Wujing Qishu (The Seven Military Classics) — the six besides the Sunzi › Weiliaozi

Wei Liaozi — The Order on the Following Army尉繚子 踵軍令

Wujing Qishu (The Seven Military Classics) — the six besides the Sunzi 武經七書 · Ascribed to Jiang Taigong · ascribed to Huang Shigong · Wei Liao · Wu Qi · Sima Rangju · Li Jing · Warring States to Tang (4th century BC to 7th century AD) · 4 passages · 245 Chinese characters · reading time 1.0 min

Wujing Qishu (The Seven Military Classics) — the six besides the Sunzi Weiliaozi The six that remain when the Art of War of Sunzi is taken out of the seven military books the Song set as the texts for examining military officers. The Six Secret Teachings is sixty chapters of questions and answers in which King Wen and King Wu ask Taigong Wang, running from the governing of a state to chariots, cavalry, battle in the open and the crossing of water; the Three Strategies is three short books said to have been given to Zhang Liang by Huang Shigong; the Wei Liaozi is twenty-four chapters setting down in detail the military orders and the squads of five and ten around the time of Qin; the Wuzi is six chapters of Wu Qi's answers to Marquis Wu of Wei; the Methods of the Sima is five chapters handing down the military rites of before the Spring and Autumn period; and Questions and Replies with Li Weigong is three books in which Taizong of Tang and Li Jing go back and forth over the unorthodox and the orthodox, the empty and the full, the frontier peoples and the Han, and attack and defense. "Arms are an instrument of ill omen," "bring the enemy to you and do not be brought to him," and "a thousand chapters and ten thousand phrases do not go beyond that one phrase" all come from here. The remaining six streams of the military school, read after the Art of War, are gathered in one place.

1The following army — the troops that go ahead, a hundred li from the great army

所謂踵軍者，去大軍百里，期於會地，為三日熟食，前軍而行，為戰合之表。合表，乃起踵軍，饗士，使為之戰勢，是謂趨戰者也。

What is called the following army goes a hundred li from the great army, appoints a place to meet, prepares three days of cooked provisions, marches ahead of the army, and serves as the marker for joining battle. When the markers join, the following army rises, feasts its soldiers, and has them make the shape of battle, and this is called hurrying to the fight.

2The rising army — the troops that go ahead of the following army

興軍者，前踵軍而行，合表乃起，去大軍一倍其道，去踵軍百里，期於會地，為六日熟食，使為戰備，分卒據要害。戰利則追北，按兵而趨之。踵軍遇有還者誅之。所謂諸將之兵，在四奇之內者勝也。

The rising army (興軍) goes ahead of the following army and rises when the markers join. It keeps twice that distance from the great army and a hundred li from the following army, appoints a place to meet, prepares six days of cooked provisions, makes ready for battle, and divides its soldiers to hold the strategic points. If the fighting goes well it pursues the beaten enemy, holding the troops in check as it hurries after him. If the following army meets any man turning back, it beheads him. It is said that among the troops of the several generals, the one who is within the four unorthodox forces (四奇) wins.

3When the command goes out they rise, and whoever does not do as the command says is beheaded

兵有什伍，有分有合，豫為之職，守要塞關梁而分居之。戰合表起，即皆會也。大軍為計日之食起，戰具無不及也，令行而起，不如令者有誅。

The soldiers have their tens and files, and there is dividing and joining, and their duties are set for them beforehand, so that they guard the strongholds, the passes, and the bridges and are stationed apart in them. When battle is joined and the markers rise, they all gather at once. The great army prepares provisions counted by the day and rises, and there is no implement of war that is not at hand, and when the command goes out they rise, and whoever does not do as the command says is beheaded.

4Dividing and barring — if you would fight, you first make all quiet within

凡稱分塞者，四境之內，當興軍踵軍既行，則四境之民，無得行者。奉王之軍命，授持符節，名為順職之吏，非順職之吏而行者誅之。戰合表起，順職之吏，乃行用以相參，故欲戰先安內也。

What is called dividing and barring (分塞) is this: within the four borders, once the rising army and the following army have set out, none of the people within the four borders may travel. Those who bear the king's military command and are given a tally and token to hold are named the officers of regular duty, and whoever travels without being an officer of regular duty is beheaded. When battle is joined and the marker posts are raised, the officers of regular duty may then travel and take part with one another. So if you would fight, you first make all quiet within.

‹ Wei Liaozi — Teaching the Soldiers, First PartContentsWei Liaozi — The Order of the General ›Listen to this piece